Dive Brief:
- OpenAI will use its LLM assets and expertise to drive efficiency gains in and mine data from IT services and accounting companies owned by Thrive Holdings, according to a Monday announcement. the companies said.
- The GPT model builder acquired an ownership stake in the holding company created by Thrive Capital to buy companies ripe for AI adoption. It will now focus on scaling AI use cases across various firms in the Thrive portfolio, establishing a blueprint for other industries, the companies said.
- “The businesses we acquire represent the right reward systems for this evolution, bringing together industry expertise and real-world data that can help improve models on specific tasks and capabilities,” Thrive Capital Founder and CEO Joshua Kushner said in the announcement.
Dive Insight:
As generative AI use cases move from pilots to production, IT services firms are racing to develop enterprise-ready platforms for the technology while also seeking in-house efficiency gains.
Accenture reshaped its business around cloud and AI during its 2025 fiscal year and saw its consulting and managed services revenues grow 7% to nearly $70 billion during the 12 months ending Aug. 31. On Monday, the company partnered with OpenAI in a deal that will equip tens of thousands of its professionals with ChatGPT Enterprise, according to the announcement.
The Thrive deal will give OpenAI access to seven MSPs acquired over the last several months by Shield Technology Partners, an IT services platform launched by Thrive Holdings and ZBS Partners in June. The acquisitions include ClearFuze Networks, IronOrbit, DTS and OneNet Global, announced concurrently with the launch.
“Shield plans to build a foundational AI layer directly into the MSP technology stack,” Omdia Principal Analyst Jessica Davis told Channel Dive. “Their initial focus is using AI to resolve IT tickets, which is an area where several established MSP software vendors and newer entrants are already innovating.”
In addition to receiving a share of Shield’s revenues, OpenAI will be able to train its models on the platform’s IT services data, Davis added.
The model builder-MSP alliance brings another wrinkle to the plot.
“It sets up a race: traditional MSP vendors moving into AI from the inside out, and AI-native teams trying to re-architect managed services from the outside in,” Davis said.
Open AI and Thrive Holdings did not disclose the financial terms of Monday’s deal.
